Last-thimble



w, H. NEEDHAM.

LAST THIMBLE. AMPLxcATIoN man JAN. 2|. 191'9.

1,327,839. Patented Jan. 13, 1920.`

Liinirnn s'rATEs PATENT ornion.

WILLIAM H. NEEDHAM, OF WORCESTER., MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO'BOSTON PRESSED METAL CO., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A'CORPORATION OF MAINE.

LAST-TI-IIMBIE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. NEEDHAM, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Noi-cester, in the county of orcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newv and useful Last-Thimble, of which the fo'llowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a last thimble, and particularly to an improved construction by which the bottom or end of the thimble may be strengthened and reinforced.

Such thimbles are inserted in the heel portion of a wooden shoe last and are designed particularly to receive the pin by which the last is located in a heel-setting or other machine. If this pin is a little too long, it will engage the bottom of the thimble, under which condition the heavy pressure developed in the heel-setting operation frequently forces the rounded end of the, pin directly through the end of the thimble. To prevent this result, last thimbles have been heretofore provided with thickened end portions to resist this excessive pressure.

'My present invention relates to improvements in the construction of last thimbles having such thickened end portions.

My invention further relates to certain arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Preferred forms of my invention are shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of my improved last thimble, inserted in a shoe last;

Fig. 2 shows the thimble at an inteiinediate stage in its production;

Fig. 3 represents a later step in the operation of forming the thimble;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the reinforcing disk, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of modifications.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that my improved thimble comprises a cylindrical casing having a flanged end 11 and an inwardly projecting end portion or bottom 12; this end portion, in the form shown in the drawings, entirely closing the inner end of the thimble. The complete thimble also includes a disk 13 secured within the casing 10I and reinforcing the end portion12.

In the production of this thimble, a cylindrical shell with a closed bottom is first formed from a flat piece of sheet metal by a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed Januaryl, 1919. Serial No. 272,346.

succession of well-known drawing operations. These operations are repeated until a shell is produced which is slightly larger in diameter than the finished thimble.` Such a shell is illustrated at lOain Fig. 2. In the preferred process of finishing and reinforcing the shell 10, a disk 13, concaved as shownin Fig. 4, is placed upon the upper end of an inverted punch 14: (Fig. 2),y and the shell 10a is then placed over the disk and punch. The upper end of the punch may be concaved to receive the convex side of the disk, and it will be noted that the diameter of the disk 13 is slightly greater than the diameter of the punch 14.

A die is then forced downward over the shell 10, forming therefrom the finished casing l0 fitting' the punch 1st. In so doing, the metal of the side wall ofthe shell is contracted around the edge of the disk 13 which thus becomes embedded in the metal and is ltl-iereafter held firmly in 4position against the bottom or end portion 12 of the casing 10.

At the same operation, or if preferred at a later operation, the end portion 12 may also be concaved to correspond to the arched shape of the disk 13, the thimble then presenting the finished form shown in Fig. 1.

With this construction it will be seen that the disk 13 is firmly secured in place by 'the final drawing operation which completes the casing and without any additional operaY tion. Furthermore, the concaved or arched shape of the disk 13 more firmly resists the action of a pin engaging therewith, as any pressure applied in an upward direction against the vdisk 13 as viewed in Fig. 1 has a tendency to flatten and thus enlarge the disk 13, thereby causing it to be even more firmly secured in place.

In F ig. 5, l have shown a thimble 16 having a rounded instead of a concaved end, and reinforced b v a correspondingly shaped disk 17. This disk is embedded in the casing wall asin the preferred form, and the construction. retains inany of the advantages heretofore described.'

The form shown in Fig. 6 utilizes a fiat disk 18 which is shown as having a thin cylindrical flange 19 embedded in the casing wall 20. This liange assists in retaining the disk in place,`and its use is optional on all forms of disk. Conversely, the fiat disk may be used without the liange.

Having thus described my invention and certain modifications thereof, it will be evident that further changes and modifications both in the article and in the process may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I cla-ini isl. A last tliimble having, in combination, a cylindrical casing with an end portion and a' reinforcing disk secured within said cas ing and against said end portion, said disk having` its edge embedded in the side wall of said casing.

2. A last thimble having a cylindrical casing with a thickened end portion, said end portion being concaved to forni an inwardly arched bottom for said thimble.

3. A last thimble having, in combination, a cylindrical casing with a closed end and a reinforcing disk secured within said casing and against said end, said disk and end being both concaved to form an inwardly projecting arched bottom for said thimble.

il. A last thimble having, in combination, a cylindrical casing with an inwardly projecting end portion and a reinforcing disk slightly larger in diameter than the finished inside diameter of said thin'ible and held firmly in position within said casing and against said end portion by the inwardly overlapping material of the cylindrical casing wall.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM H. NEEDHAM. 

